Two Rides Allegedly Turned Away The Teen Who Later Died In A Drop Tower Fall At ICON Park
"They said I'm too big," he told his cousin.
A cousin of Tyre Sampson, the teen who fell to his death at ICON Park in Florida, says Sampson was turned away at two other rides before he was allowed to get on the drop tower where he died last week.
Shay Johnson, Sampson's cousin, told CNN that he was rejected from the other rides because of his size, but was later allowed to board the Orlando Free Fall drop tower.
The teen ultimately plummeted to his death from the so-called "world's highest drop tower," which drops from 430 feet and reaches speeds of more than 75 mph.
Sampson's dad previously said the 14-year-old was a "big guy" at 6'5", 340 pounds. That's heavier than the maximum recommended passenger weight for the Orlando Free Fall, according to a manual released online.
Shay Johnson told CNN that she had spoken to him right before he got on the ride, although she wasn't there in person. The Missouri native was visiting Florida with his football team at the time.
He first called Johnson to tell her that he wanted to get on a ride, then called her back to say that he'd been turned away because of his size.
"He called me back about 7 minutes later. He said, 'They said I'm too big. I can't ride," said Johnson.
Johnson told him to try the SlingShot, but he was also turned away from that one for the same reason.
He told her he would try one more ride, and this time he got on.
"They let me ride. I can ride. I can ride," Sampson said on the phone, according to Johnson.
"I didn't know it would be my last time talking to him alive. He just wanted to ride and have a good time," remembers Johnson.
An accident report released by Florida state officials suggests that Sampson may have been heavier than the recommended maximum weight for a passenger on the ride.
Employee witnesses claim that Sampson "came out of the seat" when it was slowing down and that the harness of his seat was still down and locked after the accident.
The park and the company that operates the ride have both said they are cooperating with a police investigation into Sampson's death.
No charges have been announced at this point.